2014 UN Environment Champion of the Earth Fatima Jibrell
once said: “People are fighting about limited resources, destroyed by
displaced youth: a ready pool for hire for war lords, companies of
charcoal; for piracy and for every other evil thing that they could
find.”

It is up to us to come together and find
constructive employment for our young people, she said. “We don’t want
to be dependent on aid.” This week she was among experts gathering in
Mogadishu this week for the first Somali Government-led conference,
continuing the fight to stop the illegal charcoal trade and prevent
charcoal production.

The conference from May 7-8 took place as deforestation, soil erosion and drought
continue to grip the country. The high-level meeting brought together
government officials, senior UN representatives, environmental advocates
and donors to support implementation of the ban on importing Somali
charcoal.

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Throughout her career, Fatima Jibrell has
challenged the status quo to protect ordinary Somalis and their way of
life, while working to end the unsustainable charcoal trade. Born into a
nomadic pastoralist family in Somalia, she is focused on her vision of
peace and conservation. A leading environmental activist and founder of
Adeso Africa – a non-profit organization established in 1991 – she has
fought bravely to protect Somalia’s fragile environment.

Instrumental in bringing about a ban on the export
of charcoal in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, she has also
co-funded Sun Fire Cooking, which promotes widespread use of solar
cookers as an alternative to charcoal. In 2002 her work won her the
prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize and in 2007, the National
Geographic/Buffet Award for Leadership in African Conservation.

Exporting charcoal from Somalia was banned in 2012, but an illicit trade has decimated ancient acacia tree populations
across the country. Since ordinary Somalis are often not aware of the
long-term consequences of deforestation and desertification, they become
perpetrators of their environment’s own demise, with harsh economic and
social repercussions.

Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled said in his opening remarks: “We
need a holistic response to address the issues of charcoal in Somalia.
Both the demand and supply side have to be tackled – to do this we need
cooperation to implement the UN Security Council Resolution and ensure
the environmental, economic and human losses that happen because of
illegal charcoal trade are curbed.”

Erik Solheim, UN Environment’s Executive
Director, said: “Destruction of trees for charcoal leads to degradation
of land, destruction of ecosystems and causes greater susceptibility to
flooding and drought. This leads to loss of livelihoods and food
insecurity, which are contributing to the humanitarian crises in
Somalia.

“The charcoal trade contributes to and funds
insecurity and conflict as it exacerbates inter-clan tension over
control of land and trade and acts as a major source of funding for
armed groups which illegally tax exports of the commodity. Somalia needs
the support of the international community and the private sector to
curb this unsustainable livelihood and to provide viable alternatives,”
he added.

Charcoal production – an economic activity
that dates to pre-colonial times – has long served communities to meet
energy requirements and provide livelihood opportunities. The market
value of the exported commodity was estimated to be more than $250
million dollars over two years following the ban.

“The environmental destruction brought on by
the charcoal trade contributes to drought, flooding, the loss of
livelihoods and increase in food insecurity. Together with conflict,
this exacerbates the humanitarian situation in Somalia,” said the Deputy
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Peter de
Clercq.

Consequently, the trade in charcoal has
accelerated environmental degradation and conflict over the control of
resultant revenue. Fatima Jibrell will join delegates to strengthen
institutional support to ensure the ban is finally upheld.

The two-day conference
was supported by the UN Development Program (UNDP), UN Environment and
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with
funding from the European Union, Sweden and Italy.